Danish defence cuts NATO exercises amidst budget shortfall

The Danish Armed Forces, due to the necessity of saving money, are cancelling exercises, including training with NATO, and sending soldiers on a compulsory two-week leave, revealed the Danish public broadcaster DR on Thursday.

The Danish army's command anticipates that the military budget deficit will amount to DKK 375 million (approximately £43 million) at the end of 2024.

The Ministry of Defence has committed to covering the missing DKK 275 million (approximately £32 million), while the remaining DKK 100 million (approximately £11 million) is to be saved by implementing various cost-saving measures.

"Training, exercises, and operational service are being limited, which are the very reasons for employment in the armed forces," emphasised the head of the Central Soldiers' Union (CS), Jesper Korsgaard Hansen.

According to journalists, the cuts are due to "overly ambitious plans and increased costs relative to the 2024 budget." In the first few months of the year, hundreds of new soldiers and military staff were recruited, worsening the financial situation.

In mid-June, the newspaper "Ekstra Bladet" wrote that savings would also affect the Danish Military Intelligence (FE). These services need to save DKK 100 million (approximately £11 million), but it was announced that there will be no layoffs due to the increasing security threat. The cuts will instead affect expenditures on conferences, trips, and representation.

In March, the Danish government announced an increase in military spending to 2.4% of GDP from this year, the extension of mandatory military service, and the introduction of female conscription.

Between 2014 and 2028, the Danish authorities plan to allocate an additional DKK 40.5 billion (approximately £4.6 billion) to defence. Furthermore, they announced the release of DKK 14.3 billion (approximately £1.6 billion) through improved efficiency and changes in the priorities of institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Defence.